Pictures

by Robert Daley

Book Overview

Vince Conte was a New York cop until he punched the senior officer having an affair with his wife. Forced to resign, he's bored by his work for a private security firm. Tony Murano was a tennis player... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151012296
• ISBN13: 9780151012299
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Unique

This mystery is unique in several ways. The main character is an ex-cop (not unique) who goes to work for a large investigative firm that specializes in industrial theft. The "instrument" of the "crime" is a series of pictures taken in a small European duchy. Even "true love" becomes part of the centerpiece of the story. The setting moves from the duchy to Amsterdam to France to Monte Carlo to Italy and back to the duchy. Mr. Daley is a master story teller and sets scenes wonderfully so the reader can see the full setting in his mind's eye. In many ways, the book reads like a screenplay (a wonderful movie it would be) with settings and people described vividly. Conte - the ex-cop, who was fired for a wonderful transgression - is sent to the small European duchy to learn about the genesis of tawdry pictures taken of the royal family. Although one suspects the bad guy early on, catching him is still the trick. But the photographer is only the beginning. The plot moves around Europe with the focus on different characters and suspects. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep mystery fans interested. Conte is a very good character and the supporting cast, too, is well-developed and three-dimensional with the exception of the duke, who is a bit boilerplate. The others, however, have depth and relationships grow at a natural pace. This would make a good start to a series with Conte as the ex-cop who misses his beat, but still catches bad guys. Highly recommended for a good amusing read.

What a page turner!

Reviewed by Beverly J. Rowe Vince Conte is back. He destroyed his career with the NYPD when he caught the deputy police commissioner coming out of a hotel with Conte's wife. He assaulted the man, with no questions asked, and lost his job and his wife. Now he's working as a private investigator with a security firm. The firm is hired to investigate some poolside photos taken of Tony Murano and a sexy babe that may not be what they appear to be. Tony is a small-time tennis pro who is married to the daughter of the monarch of a small European Dutchy. She is pregnant with the heir, and the girl's mother believes Tony's claim that he is innocent. Unfortunately, the king is sure that the photos are authentic, and since they appear in a multitude of magazines and newspapers, a divorce is quickly granted. The young wife and her mother are sure that it was, as Tony maintains, a set up. Conte locates the woman in the photos, and she is ultimately convinced to help out with his investigation. The trail of the photographer leads to Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Milan and several other stops, and Conte falls in love with the beautiful Gigi in the process. This novel is not quite what I expected from Robert Daley, but is a very entertaining read nevertheless. Daley weaves a bit more romance into this international romp than his usual NYPD tales in a high-octane thriller is laced with deception, betrayal, blackmail and murder. It is loaded with compelling characters and a fast-paced plot that kept me reading late into the night. Armchair Interviews says: Don't start this book if you have something else that needs to be done that day.

Mr. Qualityman

As well written as you might expect from a Daley novel, it really is less and less a mystery as the reader begins to understand the people involved in the story. The reader comes to care about these people and how they deal with the challenges that face them. A very satisfying story and not one to be read too quickly.

Be prepared to read this in one sitting

With the breathtaking Bond-like backgrounds of Monte Carlo and Milan, Daley entraps you in intrigue that just doesn't let go. His characters are so-human-that you really care about their fate. As usual, Daley does women as well as any contemporary author, and Gigi's plight is fleshed out convincingly and movingly. But it is the hero, Conte, flawed and sometimes self righteous, who engages us in his quest to find something to believe in...and love. Well done, Mr. Daley!

Daley is a Masterful Storyteller

Robert Daley used to write the best police novels set in America and now he writes the best crime stories set in Europe as his private detective investigates the tennis player who is dating the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg.